1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for dispensing an ice in a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure for dispensing an ice in a refrigerator, which includes an automated ice-making device for manufacturing pieces of ice and an ice bank for keeping pieces of ice.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a refrigerator is divided into a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber. The chilling chamber is maintained at temperature of 3° C. to 4° C., to keep foods or vegetables in a fresh state. The freezing chamber is maintained at a temperature below 0° C., to keep foods in a frozen state.
Recently, various functions are added to the refrigerator so that a user can use it conveniently. Among them, one function is an automated ice-making device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an automated ice-making device installed in a freezing chamber of a conventional two-door refrigerator, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I—I of FIG. 1.
As shown, the automated ice-making device 1 includes an ice-making chamber 11 for making pieces of ice, and a water supply part 12 provided at one side of the ice-making chamber 11 to supply water to the ice-making chamber 11.
In addition, the automated ice-making device 1 includes a control part 13 accommodating a motor (not shown) at the other side of the ice-making chamber 11, and an ejector 14 rotatably connected to a shaft of the motor accommodated in the control part 13 to dispense the pieces of ice made in the ice-making chamber 11 to an ice bank 19.
A structure of the automated ice-making device 1 will be described below in detail. A coupling part 15 for coupling the automated ice-making device 1 to the freezing chamber of the refrigerator is formed at a rear side portion of the automated ice-making device 1. The ice-making chamber 11 defining an ice-making space is provided at a body of the automated ice-making device 1.
The ice-making chamber 11 is in a hemicylinder shape. Partitioning protrusions 16 for separating and dispensing the pieces of ice are formed at an inner surface of the hemicylinder-shaped ice-making chamber 11.
As described above, the motor is installed inside the control part 13 formed at one portion of the ice-making chamber 11, and the ejector 14 is coupled to the shaft of the motor.
A shaft of the ejector 14 is formed across a center of the ice-making chamber 11, and a plurality of ejector pins 14a are formed at a side surface of a shaft of the ejector 14. The ejector pins 14a are formed spaced apart from each other and provided as many as the number of sections partitioned by the partitioning protrusions 16 of the ice-making chamber 11.
The ejector pin 14a is means for dispensing the pieces of ice to the ice bank 19.
A slide bar 17 is provided at an upper portion of a front hemicylinder of the ice-making chamber 11, which is approximately halved on center of the ejector 14. The pieces of ice slide down the slide bar 17 toward the ice bank 19. The pieces of ice moved by the ejector pins 14a are loaded on the slide bar 17, slide down the slide bar 17, and then are dropped into the ice bank 19.
A heater 18 is attached to a lower surface of the ice-making chamber 11. In order to transfer the pieces of ice, they must be separated from the inner surface of the ice-making chamber 11. The heater 18 increases a temperature of the inner surface of the ice-making chamber 11 to melt the pieces of ice, which are fixedly attached to a surface of the ice-making chamber, such that the pieces of ice are easily separated from the ice-making chamber 11. The separated ice is moved by the ejector 14 and the ejector pins 14a. 
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, such a conventional automated ice-making device is installed inside the refrigerator and generally fixed to rear wall or side wall inside the freezing chamber. Most refrigerators with the automated ice-making device 1 include a dispenser 21 for allowing a user to directly obtain the ices kept in the ice bank 19 without opening a door 2 of the refrigerator.
Generally, the dispenser 21 is disposed at the door 2 and the automated ice-making device 1 is disposed inside the freezing chamber. Therefore, there are problems that the automated ice-making chamber 1 occupies a large inner space of the freezing chamber 1. In other words, the automated ice-making device 1 is provided with the ice bank 19 as well as the ice-making chamber 11, and an ice transfer unit (not shown) for transferring the pieces of ice to the dispenser 21 and an ice crushing part (not shown) are installed in the ice bank 19, thus occupying a large space of the freezing chamber.
Since the automated ice-making device 1 and the ice bank 19 occupy about 20% or more of the inner space of the freezing chamber, thus limiting the utilization of the inner space of the freezing chamber.
Meanwhile, in order to solve the problems, there has been proposed a refrigerator having an automated ice-making device and an ice bank, both of which are installed at a door of a conventional freezing chamber.
In the above art, the ice transfer unit of the ice bank has an auger installed in a vertical direction and employs a method of moving pieces of ice downwardly. To this end, if the pieces of ice are not discharged for a long time, the pieces of ice are fixedly attached between the augers, thus causing a problem that the augers do not operate.